This book is a short collection of essays written over the years by one of the pre-eminent Japanese scholars in the field of Buddhism and comparative religion. The ten essays are loosely linked together by the common themes of (a) dependent co-origination (pratityasamutpada), (b) the effect of Madhyamika and Yogacara ideas on Japanese literature and culture and (c) the tension and harmonies amongst different religious traditions and different Buddhist sects.